1. "no, i have nothing to amuse me," said betty, "but the thought of how handsome i am. it is nice to think of that, and yet i am almost tired of hearing it."
2. betty would have given one of the best feathers in her tail for a good race after a beetle, or for a good scratch for grubs down by the manure heap, which was the best place.[pg 118]
3. but she had hardly yet begun her trials. on the next day, the coachman took her in a hamper to the show. betty screamed as she was put into it, for she did not like it at all.
4. "i will behave well, no matter what happens," said poor betty. but she felt afraid of the noise, the pushing, and the crowd of people and poultry at the palace.
5. there were spanish cocks and hens, who were lofty and silent. there were little silver bantams who chuckled. some hens were tiny dwarfs like the bantams, others were giants like the cochin china fowls.
6. there were gamecocks, too, looking like fierce soldiers. among all the smart poultry betty found herself passed over and called "only a pullet."
7. all the other fowls were called "loves" and "dears," while hardly any people took notice of her plain white dress and rosy head-dress. but one gentle lady came by, who stopped near betty.
8. she pointed betty out to a child who was with her, saying that she was one of[pg 119] the best hens of her kind which she had ever seen.
9. the lady added, "no fowls lay better eggs than these pretty dorkings.
"they make the best mothers, they are english in their habits, and therefore stronger than birds from foreign lands."
10. the air at the crystal palace was hot and close. betty began to wish herself at home again. she could not eat, though food was there.
11. and though her feathers were all[pg 120] ruffled and in a mess, she did not feel able to put them to rights. yet she knew that she ought to tidy herself.
12. one of the hens near began to mock at her. she said with a pretence of being polite: "may i put your tail tidy for you, madam, since it seems too much trouble for you to do it yourself?"
13. and then the sly thing gave a tweak and pulled out betty's longest feather.
14. a hen near gave a dab with her beak at betty's pink comb, and made it bleed. and though she said after that she did not mean to hurt her, that did not heal the sore place.
write: at the show betty found it hot and close. she did not care to eat. the other hens played tricks with her. she wished herself at home.
questions: 1. when betty was in the coop what did she long for? 2. when she got to the show what did she see? 3. how did she feel? 4. how did the other hens behave to betty? 5. what did the lady say about her? 6. what happened to her comb?
